The Eye of the Storm
by Tif S
Summary: It's been ten years since all of the McKinley crew has been together, but when fifteen year old Daniel Schuester silences himself, it is enough to call them back to Lima Ohio where it all began. Can this ragtag group steer their youngest family member back or will the Schuester family be veered off course? ( Future Fic Mostly Canon Compliant AU)
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey fellow gleeks, here with a new story. A little bit about this fic, in case you couldn't tell from the tags or the summary, this is set post finale, and really just comes out of my desire to explore the relationships in this show, and one of the first relationships we all fell in love with, Will and his kids, the New Directions. This story will be a**_ **mostly _canon compliant AU and_** _ **explore one possible version of the father/son dynamic between Will and Daniel as well as the familial ties that the New Directions have with each other regardless of time. Call it a tribute if you like. Trigger warnings will be present as necessary. As always I don't own GLEE none of it. Just the plot bunny and any original characters which at this point include Daniel's siblings, Emily and the twins.**_

* * *

 **Chapter One: Making the Call**

Now: William McKinley High School For the Arts/Schuester Home

Sam Evans stared long and hard at his phone screen. He had been going back and forth on this issue for a week. He had talked to Miss Pillsbury (He shakes his head then, Emma, Mrs. Schuester, not Miss Pillsbury anymore, not for a long time. But he would always think of her with that name, a long formed not easily broken habit from his years as a student in these halls) and Mr. Schue. He hadn't been enthusiastic: lost in thought, yes, troubled, definitely, but enthusiastic, not even close.

"They have their own lives Sam. You all do." Mr. Schue sighed, his gaze flying over the photographs on his desk, almost unconsciously. A group photo of the New Directions, circa 2015, after that Nationals victory that had cemented their school's security as one of the top performing arts schools in Ohio, and next to that, a photograph of Emma holding a four year old Daniel on her lap. "We'll figure this out. We always do."

Sam couldn't understand how it had happened. He'd known Daniel since he was a bundle of drool and red hair. He'd bought him his first guitar. How could he not have seen it? How could any of them not seen it? It is at this moment when his frustration is at its highest, and when he sees Emma watching him silently from the window just before she walks out the doors to her car, that he pushes the call button and puts the phone to his ear. Own lives? Yeah, maybe they did have their own lives, but they'd always been a family, and right now the Schuesters needed their whole family.

* * *

The house was silent. It was just Will and Daniel. Emma had left some time ago to pick up Emily and the twins from the middle school which got out a half an hour after McKinley.

"Hey Dan, how was practice?" Will sat at the kitchen table across from his son who was holding a can of soda, staring down at it. Maybe today would be the day. They all spent their days waiting, hoping to hear the sound of the piano, a lyric, a riff from his guitar, heck Will would even break up an argument. But it had been two weeks… without a word. Not a word to anyone, and it was frightening.

Daniel looked up. His eyes were wide, almost fearful, but as quickly as Will took note, his expression became impassive. He gave a micro-shrug before rising to his feet and heading upstairs. If Will hadn't been looking directly at Daniel he would have missed it. It was this fact that made Will reach for the cordless phone. He kept staring at the staircase as he dialed, despite Daniel being long gone. He still recalled the number, even after all this time. He just hoped someone would answer.

"Will?"

Oh thank god! Will's shoulders shook, but somehow his voice was coming out clear as he explained, and patiently, ever so patiently, Burt Hummel listened.

Now: Hudson-Hummel House

"Burt, who was on the phone?" Carole watched her husband carefully. He was looking down at his cell phone as if he had spoken to Casper himself.

"Schuester…" Burt shook his head, trying to clear it. He and Will were friends, it was true, and the Schuesters occasionally came around to see how things were going especially after Finn. But that didn't mean that Burt had expected a phone call from a clearly upset William Schuester almost six months after their last meet up. And what had been said, it was troubling to say the least.

Carole grabbed them each a drink from the fridge: a can of beer for him, a water bottle for herself. "How are they?"

Burt sighed. "Dan's not doing so good."

"What happened?"

Burt explained, all the while trying to process it himself. Daniel Schuester had gone silent, truly silent. He hadn't said anything, not to the his family, not to his classmates, not even to the Evans kid who ran the glee club at McKinley. He'd never heard Will so panicked. He remembered all the times that Will had supported his boys, helped Kurt and Finn become brothers, helped Kurt find himself, helping his boys process when he had had his heart attack, helping Kurt deal with bullies. In all those times, the roles had been switched. Burt, or Kurt or Finn had been the ones losing their cool, and Will had been the teacher for their whole family.

"Oh Burt…"

Burt knew that look on his wife's face. Her eyes were glistening, her mouth was drawn downwards into a frown. She was thinking hard. And then she straightened, and Burt realized what they had to do.

He dialed his son's number, hoping somebody would answer.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, it's been about two weeks of silence. This story will jump around in time, so we will get to see who Daniel was before as well as piece together what happened. Time will be denoted by headings(Usually the words now or then followed by relevant information). In case you are curious, I am picturing Daniel as Justin Tinucci. Let me know what you think. Do you want to see more? R &R **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hello, chapter two is ready. This chapter was fun to write. We get some insight into Daniel's siblings as well as a peek at Kurt and Blaine's family. Hope you enjoy. Once again I own nothing except for Daniel's siblings, and Liza.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Brothers, Blackbirds and Bowties**

Now: The Schuester Home

"Don't be stupid." Ryan looked at his twin. "You know it's not gonna work."

Caleb Schuester was currently looking across the hall toward his older brother's closed bedroom door before turning toward Ryan with a frown. "Do you want him to talk to you or not?"

"This is just gonna get us in trouble." Ryan bit his lip. "You know how much it cost Dad."

"If we can get Danny boy to fight us, Dad won't care about the money."

"I dunno…" Ryan danced on his toes.

"Desperate times little brother." Caleb's face was deadly serious.

"I was born five minutes before you." The retort didn't have the same punch as it usually did, coming out with a sigh.

"So you're in?"

Ryan rolled his eyes, a 'definitely not' poised and ready to fall from his lips, but then he really thought about it. His mom's advice rang through his ears. " _Danny just needs time. He'll be talking to you guys before you know it."_ With it came a picture of how his mom had looked when she had pulled into the parking lot. She had barely been able to focus as she drove. Emily had had to guide her pointing out streets when she was about to make a wrong turn, lost in her thoughts. And then dinner. Emily talked about dance team tryouts, Caleb about rehearsal for the school musical, but the conversation seemed forced and hollow. Despite doing nothing of the sort, Ryan felt the hole in his chest grow, as he recalled how it felt like they were ignoring their older brother, without the usual sly remarks that colored Daniel's contribution to Schuester family conversation. It was this that made the decision for him. "How do we pull it off?"

"Glad you asked."

Now: Hummel-Anderson Apartment (Manhattan)

Elizabeth "Liza" Hummel-Anderson watched as her Daddy's face changed. The conversation with Grandpa clearly wasn't going well at all. She wasn't supposed to be listening. She knew that, but technically she wasn't. Technically.

"Hey Miss Minnelli… where were you just now?" She winced as she felt Uncle Coop's fingers dig into her ribs.

Liza frowned as she pulled her uncle down by his wrist. "Uncle Coop! Shh."

He sighed. "Liza...are you eavesdropping?"

"Just because I can _hear_ what Daddy's saying doesn't mean I'm eavesdropping." Liza leaned further out as the words reached her ears.

"I'll talk to Blaine and Liza about it. We can pack and be out on the next flight Monday." Liza watched as Daddy nodded along with whatever her Grandpa was saying on the other end. She could barely duck behind the wall as his gaze moved to where she was crouched. "I'll call you back later Dad."

Uncle Cooper's hand grabbed her by the shoulder, as he looked at her with a shake of the head. "Your 'hearing' needs some work."

Blaine walked into the apartment to see a _very_ interesting, but not at all unusual scene. Kurt was sitting across from their daughter with an expectant look on his face.

"You seemed nervous. I just wanted to make sure you were okay! I didn't actually _mean_ to listen." Elizabeth ducked down biting her lip, but in her eyes he saw the guilt. Their daughter was a talented little actress, but Kurt knew the truth and she knew it.

Blaine cleared his throat. "What'd I miss?"

"Elizabeth thought it would be fun to listen in on a private phone conversation." Kurt was trying to maintain his stern persona, but Blaine could see the slight amused twitch of his mouth. "Despite the fact that it was news that involved all of us, and she'd hear about it soon enough if she _waited._ "

"Oh?" Blaine raised his eyebrows turning toward her. "Is that true Liza?"

A small nod. "I'm sorry Dad."

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other before Blaine spoke. "Just lay off the spy antics alright kiddo?"

"Can I go now?" Liza fidgeted.

"Go on get out of here." Kurt gave a halfhearted laugh as Liza stood. She turned back around, looking at Kurt worriedly before finally going back to her room, leaving her fathers alone.

"So, what's this news?" Blaine grabbed his husband's hand guiding him to a sitting position. _Whatever it is, it seems to have Liza worried._

"Dad called." Kurt sighed. "It's Mr. Schue."

"Is he okay?"

"Something… Dad said something was off when he called. He was upset, told him that Daniel hadn't talked to anyone in two weeks."

" _Daniel?_ " Blaine couldn't help but scoff. "Mr. Schue's Daniel?"

Kurt nodded. "Dad asked if we would come back. Try to help."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand with a reassuring smile. "Why wouldn't we?"

Kurt looked back in the direction Liza had left. "Do you think she'll be okay with it?"

"I'm sure he's forgotten all about it by now. It was back during Christmas." Blaine waved Kurt's question away, but behind his eyes Kurt could see the concern. "But I'll talk to her."

"Good." Kurt kissed Blaine on the cheek before rising to his feet. "I'll call you when dinner's ready."

* * *

"Hey Miss Minnelli," Cooper knocked on the door of his niece's bedroom. "Everything alright in here?"

Liza looked up. "I guess."

"Worried about what you heard?"

"Do you think Grandpa's okay?" Liza blurted it out. There was no point in skirting around it. As soon as she'd heard about flying back to Daddy's hometown, her mind launched into overdrive. Worse case scenario after worse case scenario invaded.

Cooper was thoughtful. He perched himself onto the edge of Liza's purple comforter. "Look," He smirked as his finger moved pointing right at her. "I'm pointing so you know I'm serious."

"Uncle Coop!" Liza sighed, but there was a smile fighting its way onto her face.

"Anyway Liz," Cooper waved it off. "You gotta ask your Dads. You're probably being a _teensy_ bit melodramatic."

"Says you!" Liza stuck her tongue out.

Cooper turned noticing his brother in the doorway. "Yup, says me. Well, I gotta get back to the hotel. Conference call with my agent and all." He tapped Blaine on the shoulder. "The Drama Queen is all yours Squirt."

"Bye Uncle Coop." Liza waved before turning to her dad. "Hi."

"Hi," Blaine entered the room, taking the spot Cooper had occupied just moments before. "Alright Busy Lizzie, here's the deal."

Liza nodded. "Okay."

"You know Daddy was on the phone with Grandpa Burt right?"

"Yeah..." She shifted. "Dad, is Grandpa sick?"

It didn't take Liza long to know she was way off base. Her dad's eyes did that unbelievably exaggerated widening that was usually reserved for Uncle Coop's attempt at Thanksgiving turkey that involved a blow torch, the fire alarm and a fire extinguisher. He licked his bottom lip before shaking his head profusely. "No, no Grandpa Burt is fine Sweetheart. He's just fine."

"Then why did Daddy say we were going back to Lima?"

Dad sighed. "You remember Mr. and Mrs. Schuester?"

"From Christmas?" Liza nodded as the metal picture came into her head. "Emily, Daniel, Caleb and Ryan's parents?"

"That's them."

"Yup." Liza frowned. "Did something happen?"

"Daniel...he's having a hard time." Dad said. "Mr. and Mrs. Schuester need help. Grandpa Burt thinks if we come to visit it'll brighten his spirits a bit."

Liza nodded, her frown deepening. "Last time...I kinda...do you think Ryan will wanna see me?"

Her dad wrapped an arm around her giving a squeeze. "All you can do is talk to him. I'm sure it'll work itself out."

Liza smiled. "Okay. I will."

"That's my girl." Blaine planted a kiss on her forehead. "Let's go see if dinner's ready."

* * *

 _ **A/N: So... the twins are planning something drastic to snap Daniel out of it. Liza eavesdropped on the phone conversation between Kurt and Burt, and is nervous about seeing Ryan again. Any guesses as to why? Oh! Also, I have created polyvore sets for the Schuester family and Liza as well as some other characters that will be appearing throughout the story. Just log on to**_ ** _tiffster - 1._** __ ** _and look for the collection with the title of this fic._**

 ** _Coming up next chapter: We get to see what Mercedes is up to as back at the Schuester residence, Emily tries to get through to her brother inadvertently providing the perfect distraction for the twins, whose actions spark memories for both Mr. Schue and Daniel._**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Hey, chapter three is ready. I had to split it up, the first half kind of got away from me a bit, not that that's necessarily bad...haha. Anyways, this chapter was really fun to write, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Once again, glee not mine, I'm just paying tribute, playing in the sandbox whatever you want to call it. Anyway, here's chapter three!**_

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Trying to Get Through**

Now: A Hotel in Chicago

Mercedes Jones entered her hotel room with a sigh. This was her third show in two days, and the first breather she'd been able to take in hours. If she wasn't performing, she was fighting in an overcrowded high profile office with some teeny bopper boy band over studio time that she'd had booked months in advance to cut her third album, or surrounded by security at a meet and greet. The times when she could just be by herself, be Mercedes Jones, instead of _the fabulous pop sensation Mercedes Jones_ were few and far between.

"You need anything Mercy?" The young man that was seated in the of average comfort hotel chair leaned forward with his hands on his lap. This was Bobby Whitman, the son of her agent and the only person she would allow to be in the hotel room with her for more than five minutes, on the basis that he treated her like a gen pop human being 97% of the time. "Cause, if there's nothing, I was gonna head down to the pool. Unless you wanted to come…" His dark eyes met hers. There was an excitement behind them. Despite being only two years younger than him, Mercedes sometimes felt like Bobby was a high schooler with a crush. It was all kinds of endearing and in moments like this Mercedes was glad to have a friend like him. After all a little flirting never hurt a girl.

BRRRRING! BRRRING! The ringing of a cell phone stole any answer Mercedes would've given. She reached into her purse and pulled out her iphone to see a contact picture that nearly made her drop it. "I..." _Snap out of it. He's staring._ Mercedes shook her head giving an apologetic smile. "I gotta take this. Sorry."

Bobby's face fell bit by bit, but just as quickly, too quickly, he pulled out a lopsided grin. "Sure, catch you later."

"Don't have too much fun." Mercedes waved listening for the click of the door before turning her attention back to her phone, and those damn dimples. _Sam Evans_ , just the name on her caller ID was enough to send her head spinning. She hadn't talked to or even texted the boy since her second tour had picked up speed. That was a year ago. She could blame it on a variety of things, but truth be told, it just became uninteresting after a while, the small town scene of Lima. She'd gotten swept up in big city lights and life on the road. So the fact that he was calling her… left Mercedes more than a little shocked. She pushed the green button to answer with a deep breath.

" _I didn't think you would answer. I'm actually kind of glad you did. It was a long shot but-"_ As soon as Mercedes put the phone to her ear, Sam was talking, well more like rambling. Words were tumbling out one after the other.

"Sam." Mercedes tried to cut his words. "Sam!" He seemed uneasy, upset even. He usually rambled like this when he was nervous. Mercedes had shared more than one conversation with Quinn Fabray about this very tendency. All Mercedes could do was roll her eyes, despite the fact that he couldn't see her annoyance. "Samuel Dwight Evans, take a breath and _slow down_."

She heard his sigh down the line. " _Sorry...nervous I guess._ _This is a lot easier over text."_

"Well, now that you're finally letting me talk...hi."

" _Hi...uh where are you now?"_

Mercedes looked out her window at the skyline. It wasn't quite as fabulous as New York's, but it came pretty close. "Chicago."

" _Nice."_ Mercedes could almost see Sam nodding in appreciation. " _Touring?"_

"Yeah."

" _Right...uh look...there's something going on."_ Sam's awkwardness seemed to increase by about five decibels (and his voice decrease to whisper level) since she had mentioned the tour. " _How soon can you come back to Lima?"_

His words combined with the hesitation with which they were spoken sent Mercedes' brain into high gear and invisible fingers creeping along her spine. " _What's_ going on? You better come out with it or so help me Sam Evans…"

It was then, as he began explaining in a much slower more audible tone that his rambles at the beginning of the conversation began to make sense. It was as if he too were struggling to make sense of what he was saying, and that gave his side of the conversation a frenzied air.

Mercedes knew he still taught at McKinley. She knew that he saw the Schuesters all the time, but it still surprised her when he finally got to the crux of the matter.

"Whoa, back up. Two weeks?"

" _Yeah. I think Mr. Schue can use all the help he can get."_

Mercedes sighed. Well, she'd have a lot of explaining to do, but maybe Bobby could help her soften the blow. "I'll fly in as soon as I can. Thanks Sam."

" _I'll talk to you later. Call me when you get in."_

"Wait!" Mercedes said. "Anyone else I can call for you?"

There was a long pause before he finally spoke again. " _Think you could get a hold of Mike? The number I have for him was disconnected like last year."_

Mercedes laughed. "Why don't you just use Facebook?"

" _Doesn't seem right y'know? This isn't exactly a normal reunion."_

"I understand. I'll call you when I get in." Mercedes bit her lip. "Bye Sam."

" _Bye 'Cedes."_

Once they hung up, Mercedes decided going down to the pool would probably be a good idea. She needed to talk to Bobby.

Now: The Schuester Home

It didn't take long for things to go from bad to worse. At least that was the way Emily saw things. Not speaking to anyone was one thing, but Daniel hadn't left his room since after dinner. His door was completely shut too, and that definitely wasn't like him.

"Hey! Come on D!" She banged on the door. "Open up!"

The door opened to reveal her very puzzled older brother.

"I don't care that you're not gonna say anything…" Emily said. "I mean it's a little weird, but that's not the point. I...I just figure, you can at least come do something with one of us, and I figure, I'm probably the most tolerable right now."

Daniel's mouth twitched as he leaned against the doorframe. He sighed and nodded.

"Awesome, so for choir, everyone's competing for this solo, including Anthony Tarusso, but he's one of the leads in the musical, you remember the one Caleb got the other lead for? So Miss Lancaster, she's pulling a 'dad' and she's making us do a sing off…"

Daniel followed his sister down the stairs, only half listening. It seemed to make Emily feel better, the fact that he was coming with her. He wanted so badly to say something, he knew she was expecting it, but the words wouldn't come. He couldn't bring himself to say anything because then everything would come spilling out, and he wasn't ready for that, so he just listened, trying his best to stay with her.

When they reached the door that led down to the music room, (actually the basement, but dad had put extra instruments and things down there so all the kids just called it the music room) Daniel froze.

"I just thought maybe there'd be less questions from mom and dad if we went down here." Emily observed her brother. He wasn't even looking at her, but past her to some invisible point she couldn't quite reach. "Is that okay? D?"

Then suddenly, the silence was broken… by a huge crash as Emily looked toward the hall window and caught sight of her brother's Casio falling onto the driveway from his second story bedroom window.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Uh-oh, haha. I apologize for the cliff hanger, but seemed a good place to split it up as any. Next chapter, journey to the past, well technically the Summer Daniel graduated middle school as we figure out why it was that particular keyboard that got thrown overboard, as in the present day we find out the effect the plan has on Daniel and the Schuesters, and just what Miss Rachel Berry-St. James is up to as Klaine fills her in. Then it is back to Chicago as Mercedes and Bobby do that "lot of explaining" to Mr. Whitman. Let me know your thoughts, keeps me writing! :)**_


End file.
